Face and Head Shield

Abstract

A protective shield features a single-piece transparent dome or shell having a rear opening through which facial and cranial regions of a user's head are received, thereby providing improved coverage over conventional face shields that cover the face only. Inward protrusions at a transitional region between the facial and cranial portions of the shield rest against the forehead to offset the facial portion of the shield forwardly of the user's face to allow airflow, optionally introduced from an external fan via an airflow channel integrally formed in the cranial portion. A flexible connector clip has a J-shaped profile for engaging an out-turned flange around the boundary of the shield s rear opening, to enable clipped connection of a bib or shroud. Support protrusions in an underside of the cranial portion maintain airspace above the head, which is further optimized by a rearwardly sloped incline of the cranial portion.

1 . A protective shield comprising a transparent non-spherical dome or shell delimiting a hollow interior space for receiving facial and cranial regions of a user's head therein, said non-spherical dome or shell having a boundary edge thereof that delimits an opening of said hollow interior space through which said facial and cranial regions of said user's head are admitted into said hollow interior space, said opening having an elongated primary dimension measured in one direction thereacross and configured with sufficient length to accommodate a chin-to-crown measurement of the user's head in an inferior-superior anatomical direction, and a shorter secondary dimension measured in a cross-wise direction to said primary dimension and configured with sufficient length to accommodate a narrower width measurement of the user's head in a lateral anatomical direction. 
     
     
         2 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein longitudinally opposing ends of the non-spherical dome or shell reside opposite one another across said elongated primary dimension, and a depth of said hollow interior space is at a maximum at a location nearer to a top one of said longitudinally opposing ends than to a bottom one thereof. 
     
     
         3 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein longitudinally opposing ends of the non-spherical dome or shell reside opposite one another across said elongated primary dimension, a depth of said hollow interior space is at a maximum at a location nearer to a top one of the longitudinally opposing ends than to a bottom one thereof, said non-spherical dome or shell, at a region thereof situated across from the opening, comprises at least one inward protrusion jutting into the interior space of the shield relative to surrounding inner surface areas of said dome or shell, and said region at which the at least one protrusion resides is also nearer to said top one of the longitudinally opposing ends than to said bottom one thereof. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein said non-spherical dome or shell, at a region thereof situated across from the opening, comprises at least one inward protrusion jutting into the interior space of the shield relative to surrounding inner surface areas of said dome or shell, each inward protrusion is coincident with a matching depression in an outer surface of the shield, and each depression is open at top end thereof. 
     
     
         10 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein said non-spherical dome or shell, at a region thereof situated across from the opening, comprises a pair of inward protrusions jutting into the interior space of the shield relative to surrounding inner surface areas of said dome or shell, and an airflow space whose width is delimited between said pair of inward protrusions has a widened lower end that coincides with bottom ends of said inward protrusions, and from which said airflow space tapers upwardly to a lesser width than said widened lower end. 
     
     
         16 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein height and width dimensions of the dome or shell, measured orthogonally of one another in planes parallel to a reference plane occupied by the opening, are at a maximum at said reference plane. 
     
     
         19 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein an entirety, or at least a substantial majority, of said boundary edge resides within a singular flat plane. 
     
     
         20 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein the dome or shell comprises an upper cranial portion arranged to overlie a top of the user's head, at least at a frontal scalp thereof, and a lower facial portion arranged to hang downwardly from the cranial portion over the facial region of the user's head, and in a cross-sectional measuring plane that is either a midplane that bisects the dome or shell at a midpoint of the secondary dimension, or another plane that lies parallel to said midplane, a slope of the lower facial portion toward the bottom end of the dome or shell and a slope of the upper cranial portion toward the top end of the of the dome or shell are of divergent relationship to one another over an entirety of each of said upper cranial and lower facial portions. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The protective shield of  claim 20  wherein at least over a majority of each of said upper cranial and lower facial portions, a divergence angle between the slopes thereof is greater than 90-degrees. 
     
     
         23 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The protective shield of  claim 20  configured such that, in a worn position on the user's head, the slope of the upper cranial portion is of inclined orientation sloping upwardly toward the boundary edge of the opening. 
     
     
         30 - 42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein the dome or shell comprises an upper cranial portion arranged to overlie a top of the user's head, at least at a frontal scalp thereof, and a lower facial portion arranged to hang downwardly from the cranial portion over the facial region of the user's head, and said upper cranial portion has an airflow channel formed therein, said airflow channel having opposing inlet and outlet ends situated respectively distally and proximally of the facial region, with the outlet end being open to the interior space of the protective shield at or near the facial region thereof so that airflow fed through the inlet end of the airflow channel is directed into an air space between the shield and the facial region of the user's head. 
     
     
         44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . The protective shield of  claim 43  wherein said airflow channel is neighboured on opposing sides by a pair of troughs that are recessed into an exterior of the cranial portion and have respective trough floors, relative to which a ceiling of the airflow channel is of elevated relation. 
     
     
         46 - 54 . (canceled) 
     
     
         55 . The protective shield of  claim 1  comprising an out-turned flange projecting from the boundary edge around at least a portion of the opening. 
     
     
         56 - 78 . (canceled) 
     
     
         79 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein the dome or shell comprises an upper cranial portion arranged to overlie a top of the user's head, at least at a frontal scalp thereof, a lower facial portion arranged to hang downwardly from the cranial portion over the facial region of the user's head, and one or more support protrusions that are integrally formed in, or attached to, said cranial portion and jut downwardly from an underside thereof relative to surrounding surface areas of said underside of the cranial portion for resting of said support protrusions against the top of the user's head so as to support said surrounding surface areas in elevated relation over the top of the user's head to enable airflow therebetween. 
     
     
         80 . The protective shield of  claim 79  wherein said one or more support protrusions comprise a plurality of support protrusions spaced laterally apart from one another to enable airflow therebetween. 
     
     
         81 . The protective shield  claim 79  wherein said one or more support protrusions are elongated in a front-to-rear direction in which said cranial portion extends from said facial portion. 
     
     
         82 . The protective shield of  claim 79  wherein said one or more support protrusions coincide with support depressions integrally formed in a topside of the cranial portion. 
     
     
         83 . (canceled) 
     
     
         84 . A one-piece adjustable length headband for support of a protective shield on a users head, said headband comprising a singular unitary strip of foam material having al length dimension in which said strip of foam material is elongated relative to width and thickness dimensions thereof that are orthogonal to both one another and to said length dimension, said strip of foam material having opposing first and second ends between which said length dimension is measured, said strip of foam material having a barbed tail region spanning a partial length of the length dimension from the first end toward the second end, and a widened end region that resides adjacent the second end and is of greater measure in the width dimension than said barbed tail region, said strip of foam material being flexibly bendable in said length dimension to bring the first and second ends toward one another to form a closed loop, said barbed tail region being barbed on opposing sides thereof, and said the widened end region having at least one receiver opening therein through which the first end is insertable to engage the barbed tail through said receiver opening, whereupon the barbed sides of the barbed tail region resist pulling of the first end back through said receiver opening, thereby securing the headband in said closed loop, which is adjustable in size by pulling more of the barbed tail onward through said receiver opening. 
     
     
         85 - 86 . (canceled) 
     
     
         87 . The headband of  claim 84  in combination with a protective shield for covering at least a facial region of the user's head, said protective shield, at an elevation configured to reside at approximately forehead level on the user's head when worn, having at least one inward protrusion jutting from surrounding inner surface areas of said protective shield so as to span toward and brace against a forehead of the user's head when worn, wherein the strip of foam material has two faces that oppose on another in the thickness dimension, at the combination further comprises one or more coupling elements positioned on at least one of either a respective terminal end of each inward protrusion, or a respective one of the two faces of said strip of foam material, said one or more coupling elements being operable to secure said one of the two faces of said strip of foam material to said respective terminal end of each inward protrusion, thereby securing said protective shield to said headband. 
     
     
         88 . A method of using the combination of  claim 87  wherein the at least one inward protrusion comprises a pair of inward protrusions, and the one or more coupling elements comprises a pair of coupling elements by which the strip of foam material is attached to said pair of inward protrusions, said method comprises cutting out a section of said strip of foam between said pair of inward protrusions, to enable airflow through said cut out section of the headband. 
     
     
         89 . A two-piece adjustable length headband for support of a protective shield on a users head, said headband comprising a first strip of foam material having a first pair of opposing ends separated from one another by a length dimension of said first strip of foam material, and a second strip of foam material having a second pair of opposing ends separated from one another by a length dimension of said second strip of foam material, one of two widthwise faces of the first strip having a respective piece of hook or loop fastener thereon adjacent each of the first pair of opposing ends, and one of two widthwise faces of the second strip having a respective piece of loop or hook fastener thereon adjacent each of the second pair of opposing ends that is matable with one of the hook or loop fasteners on the first strip, whereby the first and second strips are connectable face-to-face in end-overlapping fashion to form a closed loop, and at least one of the pieces of fastener is elongated in the length dimension of the respective strip of foam material to enable coupling together of the two strips in varying degrees of overlap to thereby adjustably size said headband. 
     
     
         90 . The headband of  claim 89  in combination with a protective shield for covering at least a facial region of the user's head, said protective shield, at an elevation configured to reside at approximately forehead level on the user's head when worn, having at least one inward protrusion jutting from surrounding inner surface areas of said protective shield so as to span toward and brace against a forehead of the user's head when worn, wherein the combination further comprises one or more coupling elements positioned on at least one of either a respective terminal end of each inward protrusion, or on one of the two widthwise faces of one of the first or second strips of foam material, said one or more coupling elements being operable to secure said one of the first or second strips of foam material to said respective terminal end of each inward protrusion, thereby securing said protective shield to said headband. 
     
     
         91 . (canceled) 
     
     
         92 . (canceled) 
     
     
         93 . (canceled) 
     
     
         94 . The protective shield of  claim 1  in combination with a headband, wherein said non-spherical dome or shell, at a region thereof situated across from the opening, comprises a pair of inward protrusions that jut into the interior space of the shield relative to surrounding inner surface areas of said dome or shell and are spaced apart from one another in the cross-wise direction to leave an airflow space therebetween, foam portions of the headband are attached to terminal ends the inward protrusions to support the protective shield on said headband, and said headband spans a less than full loop, and has a open gap therein between the pair of inward protrusions, whereby the open gap of the headband enlarges an effective size of the airflow space between the inward protrusions to maximize airflow therethrough. 
     
     
         95 . The protective shield of  claim 1  wherein the dome or shell comprises an upper cranial portion arranged to overlie a top of the user's head, at least at a frontal scalp thereof, a lower facial portion arranged to hang downwardly from the cranial portion over the facial region of the user's head, and at a transitional region that joins said lower facial and upper cranial portions, at approximately forehead level when said protective shield is worn, at least one inward protrusion jutting inwardly from the transitional region relative to surrounding inner surface areas thereof, wherein, in a cross-sectional measuring plane that is parallel to a midplane that bisects the cranial and facial regions, at least a partial region of the lower facial portion has a linear slope, and at least a partial surface of a distal end each inward protrusion has a relative slope of obliquely oriented and downwardly convergent relationship to said linear slope of the lower facial portion. 
     
     
         96 . (canceled) 
     
     
         99 . The protective shield of  claim 95  in combination with a headband attached to the distal end of the of the at least one inward protrusion at an area thereof possessing said relative slope, wherein the obliquely oriented and downwardly convergent relationship between the linear slope of the lower facial portion and the relative slope at the distal end of the at least one inward protrusion is configured such that, when the protective shield is worn on the user's head in supported fashion by said headband, the linear slope of the lower facial portion angles downwardly rearward toward a chest of the user.